Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Portland Hill Walks is no ordinary guidebook. No restaurant ratings, no rehashed explanations of how the city got its name. Instead, in twenty meandering, view-studded strolls from forested canyons to cityscape peaks, this lively travelogue answers questions you may never have thought to ask, such as:

What street used to be a row of floating homes?

What eastside peak, with its "healthful air," was home to tuberculosis sanatoriums?

What happened to the lake in Guilds Lake?

What Portlander modeled swimwear in the U.S. Senate?

Explore the city's streets, stairs, trails, and hidden passageways to discover the stories and spirit of a town rated among the country's most livable places.

From Our Staff:

There is so much more to a city — this city at least — than its downtown streets, shiny new architecture, and glut of soulless, megacorporate restaurants and stores. These latter, for the most part, are little more than suburban fugitives feeding off the largely indiscriminate tourist population and their disposable incomes. To really experience the city, one must explore its streets, trails, and stairs on foot; at the scale and pace in which it was envisioned, designed, and built. Laura Foster's Portland Hill Walks highlights 20 of these experiences, with accompanying information and history that you won't find in any other guide.Recommended by our staff at Powells.com

Review:

"Portland Hill Walks is an excellent guidebook celebrating Portland's landscapes and neighborhoods. Laura Foster's detailed walks cover every landscape and every section of the city....Foster details Portland history and offers anecdotes on some of the more colorful residents of Portland's past, setting Portland Hill Walks apart from ordinary guidebooks." The Oregonian

Review:

"...an excellent guidebook celebrating Portland's landscapes and neighborhoods. Laura Foster's detailed walks cover every landscape and every section of the city." The Oregonian

Review:

"Portland, Oregon offers wonderful views and fascinating places that await discovery....[T]he exciting terrain of Portland presents Foster with rich possibilities as she leads walkers around and through landscapes sure to keep even the most adventurous spirit happily engaged in exploration...Foster makes each entry come alive with historical background and keenly drawn observations." Booklist

Review:

"It's the little nuggets of history and mystery...Foster includes in each route that transform this book from a mere collection of local maps to a guidebook that leads readers and walkers into the weave of the fabric that makes Portland one of the most livable  and loved  cities in the country." Commerce: The Business of Oregon Building

Synopsis:

Explore Portland, Oregon's city streets, stairs, trails, and hidden passageways to discover stories and the spirit of a city rated among the country's most livable places. Includes 20 view-studded strolls from forested canyons to cityscape peaks.

Synopsis:

In twenty meandering, view-studded strolls from forested canyons to cityscape peaks, this lively travelogue answers questions you may never have thought to ask about Portland. Explore the city's streets, stairs, trails, and hidden passageways to discover the stories and spirit of a charming and beautiful town.

About the Author

After walking the front range of Colorado's Rockies and the foothills of the Smokies in Tennessee, Laura O. Foster found pedestrian nirvana in Portland, Oregon. She is coauthor of the award-winning children's book Boys Who Rocked the World and has edited many nonfiction titles. She lives in Northwest Portland with her husband and four children.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 2 comments:

weekend walker, March 8, 2008 (view all comments by weekend walker)
We have used this book to explore Portland, and as recent transplants (one from LA and one from Eugene) find it a fun, useful resource. We have as much fun choosing which walks to do/repeat as we do taking the walks! So much research went into this book; it's impressive. Directions are clear (when we follow them!) and the maps are fairly accurate and helpful. When we don't follow the instructions and get lost, it's easy to find our way back. Ms. Foster's book was an unexpected and happy discovery.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(13 of 24 readers found this comment helpful)

pdxdirect, January 8, 2007 (view all comments by pdxdirect)
A great example of how esoteric and magical Portland is. Like the review mention, there are so many beautiful off-the-beaten path areas of Portland that many people don't get to experience. The author has taken the time to carefully map out different walking tours all over the Metro area. These are not your average 'nature hikes'. Instead you'll get a real feel for the mix of urban and natural areas of Portland. Plus maps, parking directions, hidden stairways and geological information. Go explore!

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(32 of 49 readers found this comment helpful)

"Review"
by The Oregonian,
"Portland Hill Walks is an excellent guidebook celebrating Portland's landscapes and neighborhoods. Laura Foster's detailed walks cover every landscape and every section of the city....Foster details Portland history and offers anecdotes on some of the more colorful residents of Portland's past, setting Portland Hill Walks apart from ordinary guidebooks."

"Review"
by The Oregonian,
"...an excellent guidebook celebrating Portland's landscapes and neighborhoods. Laura Foster's detailed walks cover every landscape and every section of the city."

"Review"
by Booklist,
"Portland, Oregon offers wonderful views and fascinating places that await discovery....[T]he exciting terrain of Portland presents Foster with rich possibilities as she leads walkers around and through landscapes sure to keep even the most adventurous spirit happily engaged in exploration...Foster makes each entry come alive with historical background and keenly drawn observations."

"Review"
by Commerce: The Business of Oregon Building,
"It's the little nuggets of history and mystery...Foster includes in each route that transform this book from a mere collection of local maps to a guidebook that leads readers and walkers into the weave of the fabric that makes Portland one of the most livable  and loved  cities in the country."

"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
Explore Portland, Oregon's city streets, stairs, trails, and hidden passageways to discover stories and the spirit of a city rated among the country's most livable places. Includes 20 view-studded strolls from forested canyons to cityscape peaks.

"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,

In twenty meandering, view-studded strolls from forested canyons to cityscape peaks, this lively travelogue answers questions you may never have thought to ask about Portland. Explore the city's streets, stairs, trails, and hidden passageways to discover the stories and spirit of a charming and beautiful town.

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